Shelby County Circuit Court Overview
Shelby County forms Alabama's Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, a one-county circuit. Circuit Court has general trial jurisdiction, including felony criminal cases, domestic relations, jury trials, civil actions above the applicable threshold, and appeals from District, Municipal, and Probate Courts. Alabama Code § 12-11-30 is the jurisdiction source.
The local jurisdiction page states that Circuit Court has exclusive original jurisdiction over civil matters exceeding $20,000, excluding interest and costs. It shares original jurisdiction with District Court when the amount exceeds $6,000. Appeals from limited-jurisdiction courts are tried de novo in Circuit Court, which means the case is tried again, with or without a jury.
Presiding Circuit Judge William H. Bostick III serves with Circuit Judges Lara M. Alvis, Patrick E. Kennedy, and Jonathan A. Spann. Court reporters and judicial assistants have judge-specific contacts, while the Circuit Clerk manages the record itself. A judge's chambers number is not a substitute for the clerk's records-request process.
Shelby County Courts and Offices
The courthouse at 112 Main Street in Columbiana houses the county's state-court ecosystem. Four Circuit judges serve the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. District, Juvenile, and Probate Courts have separate jurisdiction and contacts.
| Court or judge | Type | Address or mail | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| William H. Bostick III | Presiding Circuit Judge | P.O. Box 1374, Columbiana | (205) 670-5601 assistant |
| Lara M. Alvis | Circuit Judge | P.O. Box 1209, Columbiana | (205) 670-5611 assistant |
| Patrick E. Kennedy | Circuit Judge | P.O. Box 1136, Columbiana | (205) 670-5641 assistant |
| Jonathan A. Spann | Circuit Judge | P.O. Box 1374, Columbiana | (205) 670-5621 assistant |
| W. Casey Duncan | Presiding District Judge | P.O. Box 1398, Columbiana | (205) 670-5631 assistant |
| Erin Bell Welborn | Presiding Juvenile Judge | P.O. Box 1115, Columbiana | (205) 670-5661 assistant |
The Probate Judicial Office is in Room A101 at the courthouse, 205-670-5210. Probate Recording is in Room A401, 205-670-5220. Municipal court contacts vary by city.
Shelby County Circuit Court Comparison
Alabama does not use one generic county-court level for every local case. Shelby County searchers must choose among Circuit Court, District Court, and a city Municipal Court based on jurisdiction.
| Point | Circuit Court | District Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil work | Larger civil cases and lower-court appeals | District civil and small claims within limited jurisdiction | Not identified as the county civil forum |
| Criminal work | Felonies | Misdemeanors and preliminary criminal matters | City ordinance and many city misdemeanor matters |
| Traffic | Criminal or appellate matters as jurisdiction requires | State citations routed to District Court | Many city-issued tickets |
| Record custodian | Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk | City-specific court |
A misdemeanor inside a municipality with a city court generally belongs to that city court. A felony tied to the same incident can change the route. Search Alabaster, Calera, Columbiana, Helena, Chelsea, or another applicable city when the county state-court systems do not hold the municipal matter.
Shelby County Circuit Case Flow
The file grows as each event occurs. A criminal case records charges, arraignment, motions, plea or trial, disposition, sentence, and any appeal. A civil case records the complaint, service, answers, motions, orders, judgment, and appeal activity supported by that case.
Criminal flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial and Motions › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Criminal Appeal
Civil flow: Complaint or Petition › Service › Answer › Motions and Hearings › Trial › Judgment › Civil Appeal
When Circuit Court hears a de novo appeal from a limited-jurisdiction court, the new Circuit record matters because the case is tried again rather than reviewed only from the lower docket.
After a Shelby County Circuit Court judgment, criminal appeals enter Alabama's criminal appellate path, while many civil, domestic, and administrative matters route through the Court of Civil Appeals. The Supreme Court of Alabama provides the state's highest review. Appellate records and deadlines are separate from the original trial-court file.
Shelby County Circuit Court Divisions
Circuit Civil handles larger civil disputes. Domestic Relations handles divorce and related family cases. Circuit Criminal handles felony matters. The Circuit Clerk keeps each file in its division and provides direct staff numbers for record and procedure questions.
The Domestic Relations fee chart documents filing costs for this Circuit Court division.
Domestic Relations has a $280 docket fee and a $383 modify, enforce, or counterclaim fee. Those financial details do not change which court holds the divorce record.
Circuit Civil records may contain complaints, answers, motions, service returns, orders, judgments, jury demands, subpoenas, garnishments, executions, attachments, and third-party pleadings. Domestic Relations records can include divorce petitions, settings, decrees, and child-support orders. Circuit Criminal records track felony charges, pleas, dispositions, sentences, fines, costs, and restitution.
Shelby County Circuit Finance Records
Circuit and District criminal files can include bonds, court costs, fines, restitution, receipts, and disposition-related payment data. AlaPay provides a payment path for disposed criminal cases with an outstanding balance. It is not the full case file.
The local AlaPay explanation describes the official court payment channel.
The local explanation separates online payment access from the Circuit Court file that records the case outcome.
The criminal bookkeeper page identifies the court money handled by that division.
Those bookkeeping records add financial context but do not replace the pleadings, orders, or disposition in the court file.
The criminal bookkeeping FAQ explains restitution checks, bond refunds, and delinquent payments.
After 90 days without a required restitution payment, the case may be sent to the District Attorney's Restitution Recovery unit.
Access Shelby County Circuit Records
Start with the Alacourt Shelby County docket for setting dates and optional last-name searches. Some cases may not appear electronically. Alacourt Access offers broader state trial-court access, while the Circuit Clerk record request supplies mail and in-person copies. AlaFile is an e-filing and e-notice tool, not a general public search.
The Circuit Clerk expungement instructions apply to eligible criminal records and require paper filing with certified supporting records.
Restricted juvenile, sealed, expunged, and protected-identifier material may not appear in ordinary search results.
The Alabama written public-record procedure statute supports formal request procedures.
For court files, the Circuit Clerk remains the direct custodian. County public-record requests are a fallback for county departments, not a substitute for court-copy procedures.
Shelby County Circuit Court Copies
The Circuit Clerk's request form asks for the specific information wanted, case number if known, approximate filing year when the number is unknown, identifying details such as date of birth or aliases, and whether certification is required. It also collects the requester's name, address, phone, and email. Mail requests go to Mary H. Harris, Circuit Clerk, P.O. Box 1810, Columbiana, AL 35051.
The form requires a $10 deposit and says to allow two weeks. Computerized searches from 1993 forward have no search charge. Paper and archive or microfilm searches cost $20. Copies of pages one through twenty cost $5, each added page costs $0.50, and each certification costs $5. Personal checks are not accepted; use a cashier's check or money order payable to Mary Harris, Circuit Clerk.
Shelby County Lower Court Boundaries
District Court handles state traffic citations assigned there, misdemeanors, district civil, small claims, and preliminary criminal matters. Presiding District Judge W. Casey Duncan's assistant is reached at (205) 670-5631. Juvenile Court has its own judge and restricted record concerns. Probate Court handles estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage records, recording, and other probate jurisdiction.
Municipal court venue depends on the city and offense. County magistrates have jurisdiction over felonies occurring in Shelby County, specified traffic matters, and misdemeanors outside municipal limits. A misdemeanor inside a municipality with a city court generally starts with that city. This division explains why one Shelby County name search cannot reliably cover every local court.
Probate appeals, District Court appeals, and Municipal Court appeals can create a Circuit Court file through the de novo process. Searchers should preserve the lower-court case number and identify the originating court when asking the Circuit Clerk for an appellate record. That detail helps distinguish a new Circuit appeal from the source court's earlier docket.
The courthouse address is 112 Main Street, Columbiana, AL 35051. Official sources did not provide parking rates, transit details, or a security-item list, so visitors should confirm arrival logistics and use the division phone directory for case-specific questions.
Questions about a Circuit or District record should go to the matching clerk division. Questions about the judge's schedule or courtroom should use the researched judicial-assistant contact only when appropriate. Keeping those functions separate reduces delays and preserves the clerk as the official copy source.